Irish
Last year
2023
Ireland considered making 21 age of consent for gay people when decriminalising homosexuality
One 1993 document noted that moving from “criminalisation to equality might be too major a change at one go”.
The age of consent for heterosexual intercourse at the time was, and still is, 17 years old
21 was described as "probably the age most acceptable to those who do not want decriminalisation but recognise that there is no choice"
However, if 21 was chosen, "there would be an attempt to portray this country as backward", officials warned
